


Rid of the Monsters

by glackedandmullered



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, description of injuries and violence, trigger warnings apply
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2013-12-29
Packaged: 2018-01-06 15:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1108475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glackedandmullered/pseuds/glackedandmullered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael is changing, ever since he met his new Boyfriend he's not the man he once was. When they find out what's wrong it goes to hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rid of the Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt on tumblr calling for abused Michael. I couldn't help it, I just can't say no.

It all started 3 months after Michael first introduced them to Damian. He was a pleasant guy, polite and handsome with a dusting of facial hair and short choppy black hair. He held the door open for Michael as they came in and shook everyone’s hands as they were introduced. He joined them on many a night at the bar, arm slung across Michaels shoulders and buying in round after round.

He was a good guy. He made Michael laugh and, at the beginning, they had never seen their friend look so in love and content. He spent time that he wasn’t at work in the office, often sitting behind Michael as he recorded his Rage Quits and full plays, muffling laughter into his shirt sleeve. They went out for lunch, bringing treats back for the others and they spent many an hour texting each other back and forth, sometimes during recordings and the guys would make kissy noises over the audio. 

He made a pretty sound first impression so no one went straight to drastic conclusions when Michael came to work in June with a black eye. 

He told them he got in a fight at a bar, considered trying the _I walked into a door_ routine but that seem much too cliché. They had seen Michael fight before; get up in someone face for something small but it was unlike him to get into a fully fledged fight. However there were plenty of hot headed assholes in Austin who would happily fight over nothing at all so they rolled their eyes and told him to be more careful who he talks to while drunk. 

Then he started turning down nights at the bar, claiming to want more time with Damian. They became concerned when the look in his eyes was pleading. It was just a touch but it was there, the longing that told them it wasn’t his choice to say no.

One night, Michael’s Birthday, they forced him out, despite his protests and fighting. They said Damian would understand that they just wanted a night with their best friend who had been so vacant recently. Michael would beg to differ. He ended up enjoying himself though, letting the alcohol run through his blood and making him more carefree than he had felt in a while. 

Their couldn't help but grow concerned when he didn't show up the day after.

Geoff’s phone flashed at around 11 with a simple text fucking hangover and they laughed it off. There was no laughter when they saw him when he returned. He looked bone weary, dark shadows under dead eyes, smudging his pale face. His smile was decidedly false and his effort in the lets play was abysmal. 

They all had their suspicions. Well they all had one suspicion, but they couldn’t confront him on guess work. 

Over the next month they saw him change.

He tried to film his Rage quit. He would just sit there playing the game for hours but he couldn’t bring himself to yell and scream, he couldn’t find the effort to bring out his anger.  
He flinched against himself when a stray yell of frustration escaped him and he closed down his computer, head down on his desk and breathed deep through the tears that threatened to fall.

He showed up in time to film and left as soon as everything was done, he stopped talking to anyone and he constantly looked beaten down. His smiles were twisted and false and texts in the middle of lets plays ended with him being silent for minutes at a time, the guys made no effort to bring it up. 

They wanted to confront him, once and for all confirm or refute their worries but he would just brush them off when they asked if he was okay or if he needed to talk. He scoffed and told them to fuck off in the nicest way possible. It didn’t take long for them to get their answer.

Sometime in September Gavin left the podcast set to find Michael asleep at his desk. He was curled up on his chair, head resting on the wooden surface and snoring softly. Gavin tried not to wake him as he packed his stuff quietly, listening to the soft calm breathing of the man and feeling heartbroken when he had to eventually wake the poor guy up and send him home. After all he couldn’t sleep in the office all night. 

“Michael, might wanna wake up there mate.” He grinned down at him, smiling fondly at the confused sleepy stare he got back. Michael’s curls were ruffled up on one side and he had the imprint of his sleeve on the side of his face. 

“Wha…?” He croaked.

“It’s late, I’m heading out, didn’t wanna leave you here.” He received a slow nod in response before suddenly Michaels eyes opened wide, he leapt out of his seat and his eyes found the clock on the wall.

“Shit. I’m late, shit shit shit!” He shrieked, grabbing his sweater and shoving it into his backpack, looking up at Gavin who had a look of concern on his face. 

“You okay Michael?”

“I’m late Gavin! Why the fuck didn’t you wake me up I’m meant to make dinner for Damian. Fuck, you fucking dick why didn’t you wake me?” He shouted, breathing increasing and face paling as he shook himself and started for the door.

“Michael wait! Slow down, it’s okay, it’s an honest mistake you needed the sleep, I can see that.” Michael just stood there; hand on the door handle shaking his head. Gavin felt helpless, he had no idea what to do. He could feel panic bleeding from Michael and just wanted to know anything anything he could do to help.

“Do you…do you need to come back with me? Michael do you need somewhere to go?” He asked, concerned. He could feel all his suspicions coming true in his head, he could see the shudder that went down Michael’s spine and he saw the tears in his eyes as he turned to look at him. A look of fear deep within that Gavin never wanted to see in anyone, especially not his boy. 

“I can’t…” Michael choked out and then he was gone, tearing down the hall, sneakers on the floor thudding along until Gavin heard the slamming of the front door and a car engine just outside the window. 

Gavin rubbed his hands over his face and let out a sigh of frustration, he didn’t know what to do. There was something, definitely something going on. He shut down Michael’s computer, seeing that barely any work had been completed at all and headed off to find Geoff swearing to confront Michael in the morning.  
It seemed, however that the morning was too late. 

\---

The door clicked, swinging open slowly and staggering steps hit the floor. Ryan looked up to greet him and swore, causing everyone to turn sharply to the man. 

“MICHAEL!” They all yelled at once as he collapsed to his knees in the doorway. He was at his limit. He folded in on himself, tucking his chest right up against his knees and resting his head on the floor and he just…wailed. He screamed with months and months of pent up frustration and fear and anger at himself, Damian, everyone. His hands were over the back of his head, tugging at his hair so hard that he pulled out a good chunk of the auburn curls. 

Gavin, still in shock, reached out to him first, feeling the whole body flinch that Michael gave as he did and Geoff just shouted at him to get him into the room and shut the fucking door. People were peering around the corner and out of the opposite office and they could explain later but Geoff was pretty sure Michael wouldn’t want them all seeing him like this. 

With Jacks help Gavin pulled Michael up to his feet though his knees wouldn’t hold him and he had to be dragged over to the couch. Ryan swept all his stuff off the leather disregarding the crashes of equipment hitting the floor and just focused on the whine of fear from Michael at the loud noise. Michael couldn’t even find the strength to stay upright on the couch as they set him down, all his energy going into the gut wrenching sobs that his screams had become. 

Gavin ran his hand up and down the man’s back as he looked to Geoff, eyes pleading for him to step in and make everything better. Geoff scrubbed both hands over his face and took a deep breath kneeling down in front of Michael and gently tugged his hands away from the painful grip he had on his hair. 

“Michael…Michael, seriously Michael look at me!” He spoke softly yet firmly and Michael’s sobs halted suddenly. He was breathing harshly and unsteadily and when he raised his head they all gasped in shock. 

Michaels right eye was swollen shut, bruised with black and purple and his other eye was bloodshot and full of tears. There was more bruising at his hairline accompanying a gash that ran from his left ear to his temple, his lip was split and inflamed and his nose was bleeding. 

“Geoff…” He sniffled before his face crumpled again and he was launching himself into his boss’s arms chest heaving and face pressed tightly against Geoff’s shoulder. 

Geoff wrapped his arms around Michael as gently as he could, wary about any wounds that may be hidden under the man’s sweatshirt. He glanced up and his eyes met with Jacks who was red in the face and looking damn near ready to kill, Ryan wasn’t faring much better and Gavin and Ray, well they were turning into wrecks right in from of him. He wanted to comfort them but instead focused on the real issue here, rocking Michael and shushing him softly. 

“It’s okay Michael, it’s okay. I’ve got you.” He kept rocking the man until the tears stuttered to a stop and with a sigh Geoff realised the younger man had fallen asleep, cried into exhaustion and Geoff couldn’t say he was surprised. He stood up slowly, pulling Michael with him and allowing Ryan to help him lower him back onto the couch, pulling Gavin’s coat from his chair over the sleeping man. 

He motioned for them to follow him and they all shuffled out into the hall, shooing away anyone hanging around. 

“So…” Ryan muttered. 

“It was Damian.” Gavin hissed and Geoff swore he had never seen anger like that in the usually carefree man. 

“We don’t know-” Ray began pathetically only to be interrupted by Gavin who was practically vibrating with anger. 

“It’s obvious Ray! We all know it! We tried to ignore it, we didn’t want it to be true but it is! I shouldn’t have let him go last night; I should have made him stay.” He took a deep gulping breath and leaned back against the wall. “You should have seen him; he was running late, I’ve never seen anyone looking that scared in my life. I didn’t…I don’t know why I didn’t say anything, I should have said something!” He pounded his fist against his forehead and Ryan grasped it tenderly, stopping him in his movements. 

“Don’t worry about that Gavin, none of us did anything when we should have. We should have fucking said something, done anything…but we fucking didn’t and now we just have to fix this. We can’t change it but we need to fucking fix it.” 

“I say we start with taking a crowbar to the guys face.” Jack spat, shocking them all at the fury pouring off the kind man.

“We can get to that… and we fucking will get to that. But first…” Geoff glanced back at the door and they all sighed, Ray bit his lip and Gavin looked more than lost. 

“What do we do Geoff?” he whispered.

“I don’t know Gav…I’ve never…there’s never been… I don’t know.” He felt just as helpless as the rest of them. They hadn’t had to deal with shit like this before. They’d never met a... an abuse victim, because as much as they hated saying it that was exactly what Michael had become; A victim to a bastard of a boyfriend who they had all trusted. 

Geoff scrubbed roughly at the tears that were building in his eyes and motioned for them to go back inside the office. 

“Hey…is everything okay in there?” It was Burnie who stood at the opposite wall, concern on his face and arms folded. 

“Yes, well no not really but I’ll come talk to you later okay? We’ve got some shit to deal with.” 

“Okay, but make sure you do.” Geoff nodded once and Burnie disappeared down the hall, leaving the 5 guys to return to their office.

Michael was sitting up when they re-entered the room. Gavin’s coat was hanging off his shoulder and he flinched as the door opened. 

“I’m sorry, Geoff. I’m so sorry.” He sniffled and Geoff placed his hands on Michael’s knees. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about, _nothing_ do you understand?” Michaels nod was too fast, a response drilled into him to always say yes, don’t dare say no, always understand and Geoff stood up breathing out heavily. 

Gavin pulled Michael into a hug and he shrieked into the younger mans shirt which sent a panic through the hearts of the guys in the room. 

“Let me see.” Jack whispered, keeping hold of the shirt when Michael pulled away shaking his head. 

“Michael...” He said firmly and smiled softly to him as he stopped struggling and allowed Jack to lift the front of his shirt up to his chest. They were expecting bruises but nothing like this, this was weeks of marks on top of each other, his skin mottled with yellows and greens then darker purples and blacks of the most recent ones. There were half healed cuts on his chest and his side was dented with obviously busted ribs. 

Geoff growled and wrenched open the door.

“I’M GOING TO KILL THIS FUCKER!” He screamed and Jack followed, Michael whispered _no no no_ shaking at the rage in Geoffs voice and Ryan let Michaels shirt fall back down and stopped in the doorway to look back at the other two who were rising but looked shell shocked. 

“Stay here with Michael; we’ll be back soon okay?” He disappeared round the corner and Michaels tears started anew.

\---

“HEY, FUCKFACE OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!” Geoff yelled, banging his fist against the wood violently, kicking a couple of times when there was no reply. It hadn’t taken long to drive over to Michael and Damian's shared apartment, with Geoff breaking pretty much every traffic law to do so.

Finally after way too long the door swung open and there he was, in boxers and his hair ruffled. The knuckles of the hand holding the door were bruised. 

“Oh hey, what’s up guys?” He smirked and Geoff slammed his fist straight into his arrogant face. 

Damian grunted his head whipping to the side with the force of the blow and he let go of the door instead using the hand to hold his nose which was pouring blood onto the hardwood. 

“What the fu-” before he could continue Jack shoved him to the ground kicking at him violently while Ryan shut the door behind them. 

“You fucking bastard! You useless pathetic excuse for a human being!” Geoff screamed as he joined Jack in his assault. Damian curled in on himself, raising his arms over his head trying to protect himself.

“Oh don’t you like this? Isn’t this what love looks like to you, you prick?” Ryan stepped back the other two, grabbing the man around the throat and lifting him with strength he would never have known he possessed of not for his blind rage. He dragged him towards the window leading out to the fire escape, Damian’s feet dancing across the floor, hands grappling at Ryan’s in an attempt to escape. Ryan flung his arm out of the open window, carrying Damian’s top half with it so he was basically dangling in the air outside. Being 7 stories up from the ground floor, Damian breathed heavily in fear of what would come. 

“You don’t have the right to hurt Michael, You don’t get to do that and you certainly don’t get to get away with it.” His voice was low and dangerous, his eyes blazing murderously. 

“I’m sorry, oh god I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, I swear I didn’t…please don’t kill me.” Damian sobbed pathetically and Ryan used the hand not holding him up to slap him sharply. The dangling man spat out a mouthful of blood which dribbled down to the ground below.

“He is 100 times the man you will ever be you insolent worm and I promise that if you ever, _ever_ come near him again I will personally make sure that pavement down there is the last thing you ever see.” With that he pulled the blubbering man back inside who immediately crawled away coughing and spluttering to the corner of the room.  
Ryan wished he could just shove the guys out of the window right now and he knew that the others felt the same but realistically that was going to help no one and he stepped away letting Geoff get close to the guy.

“We’ll be back later for his stuff, if you’re here…well you better not be you son of a bitch.” Geoff hissed, face inches from Damian’s and the man whimpered and nodded, pushing himself further back against the wall. Geoff kicked him once more before stalking back to the front door, Jack and Ryan in tow.

\---

Michael was curled up on the couch with Ray and Gavin wrapped around him when they returned. All three looked up sharply and Michael whispered _is he dead?_ Geoff shook his head and lifted his hand around Ray and onto Michaels shoulder, squeezing gently.

“No, but he’ll feel it for a while.” Michael nodded and the three of them kneeled on the ground in front of the couch. Jack took one of Michael’s hands and kissed it gently.

“You’ll be okay now Michael, he’ll never hurt you again.”

Ryan laid his head against Michael’s shin, arm stroking the other. 

“We love you Michael. We won’t let you forget that.”


End file.
